


Baby-Bucky's First Swim

by CumberRachel



Series: Avengers Fan Fiction Collection [12]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Baby-Bucky, Cute, De-aged Bucky, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Kid!Fic, M/M, Protective Steve, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-13 16:58:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4529880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CumberRachel/pseuds/CumberRachel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve takes a de-aged Bucky swimming for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby-Bucky's First Swim

**Author's Note:**

> This work is a one-shot that will be linked to a series, the series will have more detail about the de-aging process and deal with all the issues involved and trying to get Bucky back to his original age. Also, there will be similar side-fics to this showing cute things between Bucky and the other Avengers, mostly they will not effect the plot of the main fic despite maybe being mentioned a few times. 
> 
> I would like to thank my NEW(!) Beta-reader StarSpangledBucky (I don't yet know how to link, ill figure it out eventually) for halving my posting time and helping me decide if I should have posted or waited. Be sure to go and check out some of her works :) 
> 
> Thank you for reading, sorry its not as long as some of my others, I was given the idea whilst swimming with a friend and I just had to write, the main fic will be longer though you are likely to get more one-shots before anything substantial, sorry.

"Don't run by the pool side! Bucky wait for me!" Steve called, hurrying after his de-aged best friend.   
  
He was glad the Avengers gym had a pool, he wouldn't like to imagine the public's reaction to him swimming with a toddler with a metal arm.   
  
"Sorry Steeev," Bucky called, slowing to a walk and waiting at the ladder.   
  
Steve was grateful he didn't just jump in, he had no idea if baby-Bucky had retained the ability to swim or not. And the thought that he might drown because he was too impatient, petrified Steve.   
  
"That's okay buddy, I didn't want you slippin' is all," Steve explained gently, sitting to one side of the ladder, dipping his legs in.   
  
After giving the safety guidelines a read, he pulled the inflatable arm-bands out of their packet and began to blow them up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bucky copy his action, very carefully bending his chubby legs to perch on the edge, his toes barely scraping the waters edge. In a way it warmed his heart to see Bucky this way, to see how he was taking everything in, how he was eager to learn and explore. Steve could vaguely remember a time when they were both little; Bucky's parents had taken them both to a museum and Bucky would not calm down. He read about every exhibit and dragged Steve along, always running ahead and waiting for his family to catch up before reading aloud. Once the bands were blown up, Steve slid himself into the water (which he rose about two feet higher) and stood in front of Bucky.   
  
"Right arm please," he requested, watching with amusement while he reached out both arms and made 'L's with his thumb and forefinger, a thoughtful furrow in his tiny brow.   
  
"This one!" he exclaimed proudly, holding up his arm so Steve could slide the band on.   
  
"And the left," Steve said, really hoping the metal wouldn't be like a dead weight, pulling him under and drowning him.   
  
Stark had played around with it a little after the transformation, knowing that a toddler's body would not be able to support it. Once both bands were securely in place, Steve lifted Bucky from his perch and turned towards the other side of the pool. He lowered Bucky until he had most of his legs covered, the joyous squeal that erupted from him when he started kicking and splashing made Steve smile wide. He then lowered him all the way, slowly withdrawing his hands to see if he could float okay. Sighing in relief when he didn't plummet like a rock, Steve wrapped one arm around Bucky's slim waist and pulled him to the middle of the pool, not before grabbing a float though.   
  
"Okay Buck, you ready to learn to swim?" he asked, bouncing him in his arm so the water splashed around him.   
  
The little'n began to clap his hands (it didn't make the same sound but that didn't deter him), smiling wide with his small pearly whites shining, nodding eagerly. Steve chuckled and held the gravestone shaped float up to him.   
  
"Right, first I'm gonna need you to have this under your chest okay?" he said, holding it to his chest in demonstration.   
  
Bucky nodded slowly, watching intently and then making grabby hands for it.   
  
"Alright Bucky bear, here you go," Steve chuckled as he handed it over, watching  in delight as he hugged it to his own chest, wrapping his arms tightly round it. "Okay, when I hold you up flat I want you to kick your legs, hard,"  
  
"Like before? When I splashed?" he asked, looking up at Steve.   
  
"Yeah Buck. Just like before," Steve said, resting one large hand across the float and then one on his back, laying him on his front on the surface of the water. "You ready?" he asked, unable to wipe the smile from his face.   
  
At first he wasn't sure how he'd be able to deal with his lover being a child again but he's grown to like it in the last month. Not that he'd want it forever, he didn't want to bring Bucky up as his father figure, he wanted his Bucky back. Bucky began to kick his little legs in the water, making big splashes. Steve made his way through the water to make Bucky feel like he was moving. After a while he took away the hand on Bucky's back, lowering him slightly lower in the water.   
  
"Now hold your arms out in front of you-yeah like that-and then one arm at a time, pull down against the water," he instructed, watching the concentration frown form once again.   
  
He was pulling his arms down and then back out above the water, without being told, Steve figured he maybe retained some muscle memory.   
  
"I'm swimming Steevee. Look! I'm swimming!" he cried out, a large grin on his face.   
  
"Yes you are! You're doing great Buck! You ready for me to remove the other hand?" he asked hopefully, he was worried that he'd been holding Bucky enough above the water to breath clearly and now he's start breathing it in.   
  
"Yeah, yeah!" Bucky said, stopping kicking and holding his float again, accidentally grabbing hold of one of Steve's fingers.   
  
"Remember to hold your breath if you go under water, but don't forget to breath okay?" he clarified, his anxiety and fear spiking that Bucky might not be able to do this.   
  
"I got it Steeb, I can do this," he said determined, pushing the hand away under the float.   
  
"Okay, just be careful, if you need help then ask," Steve said, slowly removing his hand and moving in front so he could reach out if he had to. "Come and get me Bucky," he teased, taking a couple steps back.  
  
Instantly, Bucky began to kick, reaching his arms out and pulling down in the water. Every so often his mouth and nose would bob under the water but he would come up absolutely fine, still breathing normally. As he was kicking, Steve kept moving away, walking backward from him, this disgruntled the poor little Bucky and he soon grew impatient.  
  
"Steebe! Steebe! Let me get you!" he whined, reaching out with little grabby hands, only a few inches away from touching Steve.  
  
"You gotta swim harder then," Steve teased, slowing down so the gap closed a little.  
  
Eventually, Steve hit a wall and had to stop, making Bucky cheer in joy as his hands pressed against Steve's stomach.   
  
"I got you, I got you! I win!" Bucky cheered, splashing around in the water.  
  
Steve chuckled and made a play at getting splashed, hitting away at the water. In his act he didn't notice the float pop up from underneath Bucky, causing him to go underwater and inhale a load of water. As soon as he heard coughing Steve reached for his small frame and lifted him well above the water, rubbing and patting his back while he coughed and spluttered. Tears were forming in Bucky's eyes and Steve felt terrible, everything had been going so well until now. Why did Natasha and Sam insist he did this alone? He had no parental instinct and was even less mature than Clint at times.   
  
"You're okay Bucky, it's just some water, it will go away soon," Steve soothed, wading over to a ladder and sitting on the top step, placing Bucky on his lap so he could better assess the situation.   
  
Thankfully Bucky had calmed, he could now take a full breath before coughing, and even those were becoming more even and regular.   
  
"I'm sorry Buck...I didn't mean to let you go under. Are you okay? Does it hurt?" He asked carefully, rubbing soft circles between his small shoulder blades.   
  
"I think I'm okay now. My throat and nose hurt a little." He admitted in a raspy voice.  
  
This Bucky was far more honest than adult Bucky...  
  
"Why don't we get you a glass of cold water and then clean up? And after, if you don't get me all wet like last time, we can eat ice cream in front of the TV," Steve offered, already sliding the arm-bands off and climbing out with Bucky on his hip.  
  
"Yes please Steebe. Stwabewry?" Bucky asked in a small shy voice, bringing his right thumb to his mouth.   
  
Despite his age (guessed at about 2 or 3) he was very well spoken and polite. Also, he had a good understanding of the modern world, something that had to have transferred from adulthood.  
  
"Sure thing, pal. I'm sure Thor won't have gobbled it all," Steve joked, pressing a light kiss to his forehead before setting him down.   
  
They walked to the changing rooms hand in hand, Bucky taking about five paces for every one of Steve's. He kept his thumb in his mouth but he yawned a few times, Steve figured he'd be tired.  
 

* * *

  
All cleaned up and in their pyjamas (sweats and a t-shirt for Steve, an iron-man t-shirt and matching bottoms with the helmet and arc reactor dotted all over), Bucky was sitting in the gap of Steve's crossed legs, strawberry ice cream slowly melting in the bowl, his gaze fixed to the TV. It was playing some programme about turtles that were also ninjas. It didn't make that much sense to Steve but Bucky was clearly enjoying it so he didn't care. He was too busy running his fingers through Bucky's damp hair, still chin length. As an adult this action helped calm Bucky and sometimes sent him right off to sleep, he was hoping it would do the same here.  
  
Once the ice cream was finished, Steve lay flat on the sofa and pulled Bucky over his chest. It took a few minutes for him to get comfy but eventually he did; he was laying mostly on his front, his metal arm raised above his head and bent so he could use it as a pillow, his other arm curled under him, thumb going to his mouth, one leg was out straight while the other crooked upward, allowing him to still watch the telly for the time being. As soon as he settled, Steve pulled a blanket over them both and continued to play with his hair, content in a way he never thought he'd feel.   
  
It didn't take long for Bucky to fall asleep, his tiny snores only just reaching Steve's ears. The TV automatically turned off and Steve nodded thankfully to the ceiling, knowing Jarvis would understand. Soon after Bucky drifted off, Steve followed, the comfortable weight of a child on his chest. He could get used to this. Once he was grown again, he was going to have an interesting conversation with his lover, one he may not agree with. One thing he now knew? He could happily have a child with Bucky


End file.
